Travel and Dogs: The Good, the Bad and the Itchy

Compiled by Justin Sablich

Aug. 24, 2017

Whether you own one or not, dogs can enrich the travel experience, or make it more stressful than you’d like. With National Dog Day on Saturday, Aug. 26, here are a few ways our canine friends (and enemies) put their paw prints on our travel plans.

Pets on the Premises? It’s a Hotel Perk

When booking a room, it may not occur to travelers to ask whether a hotel has pets. Yet interaction with animals can improve mental health, and has been shown to ease depression. Some hotels are luring customers with mascots — not just dogs, but also birds, cats, tortoises and even donkeys.

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Harley, the author's golden retriever, in London.CreditLuke Wolagiewicz for The New York Times

The Transportation Security Administration trains an average of 230 dogs a year to detect explosives at its center at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.Published OnMay 31, 2016CreditCreditIlana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times

Dogs That Stay One Sniff Ahead of Bomb Makers

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the federal government has spent billions on technologies to emulate the nose and brain of a trained bomb dog, which can detect minute traces of explosives. And while researchers have made progress, when it comes to accuracy, nothing quite beats the nose of a dog.

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More hotels are accepting pets, and most that do charge a fee — often $25 to $150 per stay — to cover the extra cleaning they say the room undergoes after a pet checks out.CreditTimothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Travel and Allergies: What to Do When Animals Are on Board

About 10 percent of the United States population suffers from pet allergies, and while cats are twice as allergy-causing as dogs, people tend to travel more often with dogs. About 39 percent of dog owners take their pets when traveling for two nights or more, versus 11 percent of cat people. Thankfully, travelers with allergies have options.

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Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara County, Calif., is a dog magnet.CreditGigi Cortes

Striving to Make Travel Truly Pet-Friendly

Melissa Halliburton’s inspiration for creating a global resource for travelers with pets in tow came from personal experience. After graduating from college, she settled on a petite Jack Russell-Chihuahua mix called Rocco. But taking him on the road proved to be a challenge in the Boston metropolitan area where she lived. Her solution was BringFido.com, a site with detailed information on hotels, restaurants and events across over 14,000 cities in 91 countries.